How to Protect Your New PC, Tablet or Phone

If you’re like me, whenever I get new PC, smartphone or tablet, the box is open and the screen is coming to life as soon as I get a chance.

Here are a few suggestions to help you get off to a safe start from the moment you’ve got your system up and running.

PC–Laptop or Desktop

1. Make sure you’re running the most up to date software.
There have likely been several system updates since your hardware was packaged and you opened it. Hopefully your system updated itself or prompted you to update as you installed. But it’s always a good idea to double check. You can do go to Windows Update for your Windows machine. On a Mac, just click on the apple in the top left of your desktop and select, Software Update. You also want to make sure your other software is current and isn’t leaving some hole that can be exploited by an online criminal. You can update each program one-by-one or use our free Health Check.

2. Install security software.
Of course, as company that’s been protecting computers for 25 years, we believe security software including anti-virus is crucial. But don’t just take our word for it. Most, if not all, law enforcement agencies, governments and experts agree that you need security software if you’re planning to use the Internet. So if you aren’t going to use our award-winning Internet Security–which we invite you to try for free–please use another.

You may also want to: Uninstall all the programs that came on your PC as promotions if you know you won’t be using them. If you’re super security conscious, you should also disable all your Java plug-ins or make sure they never get enabled–unless you need them.

Smartphone or Tablet

After you’ve registered your accounts and synced your phone when possible, your mobile device is a lot like your PC.

1. Install mobile security.
We also offer Mobile Security for Android that protects your smartphone and tablet from bad apps and scams that are even more tricky on mobile browsers. Some say Android is replacing Windows as the number one target of online criminals–if that happens, it will be the result of too many people not protecting their phones.

Sorry, there’s no iPhone mobile security available yet because Apple isn’t allowing anyone to develop such apps and is relying on keeping bad guys out with its well-policed app store. But if you do not jailbreak your iPhone, it will likely be safe from bad apps.

2. Choose a backup.
You can choose from a variety of backup services for your smartphone, which as you know soon fills up with irreplaceable content. You can also backup by dragging and dropping your content to your backed up PC whenever you dock your phone. Set up your Android to save your settings regardless of what happens to your device. Just go to Settings > Privacy, and make sure that “Back up my settings” and “Automatic restore” are checked off.

3. Install Anti-Theft.
It just makes sense that you’re more likely to misplace your phone or tablet than your PC. But it’s also simple to track your device and protect your data if it falls out of your hands. We offer free Anti-Theft. Apple offers a Find My iPhone app for free.

4. Stick to Official App Stores.If you get your apps from the official Google Play or ITunes store, you will likely never deal with a malicious app. Be sure to check user reviews and stick with software that has a proven record.